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Here’s one for you.
Punch on the head (maybe once in ten years) – completely unacceptable. A deplorable act. i think we all concur.
Hit them as hard as you like with a whip… multiple times… almost every race – thumbs up
Logic failure surely?
Oh dear Corm, you’re not serious are you?
Just a thought that crossed my mind LS…
My own view is that neither act should be condoned but strange how one is deemed acceptable – allowed under the rules.
Mind you I guess harvesting Ungulates for food and essentially using them as slaves for our consumption and other uses is surely just as bad if not worse than giving a horse a slap from time to time.
I guess the difference is you expect something a lot better- especially from someone used to working with horses.
But why is he tee-total, did he have a drinking problem
This article says he doesn’t drink and never has:
amp.independent.ie/sport/horse-racing/that-fear-is-always-there-29859228.htmlI don’t know if he’s in the Pioneers or not but not drinking is actually not unusual here. I went to college with mostly country lads who were into hurling and several of them didn’t drink. Some just not during the hurling season and some not ever.
I thought he did drink in his younger days. Could be wrong but I thought I read he’d given up about 15 years ago.
“I don’t drink, the last time I had a drink was 15 years ago and that was the only time – I have no interest in drink.” said Russell.
I think you are right greenasgrass – above from an article in the Daily Star
Here’s one for you.
Punch on the head (maybe once in ten years) – completely unacceptable. A deplorable act. i think we all concur.
Hit them as hard as you like with a whip… multiple times… almost every race – thumbs up
Logic failure surely?
It was only the other week chapman read out the statistics on whip usage and injuries/incidents occurring from said use
I dont think a specially designed whip being used 10s of thousands of times without damage or incidents can be compared to jockeys punching their mounts
If your comparing the two horse racings royally screwed
Some perspective please; he slapped a horse on the head, which was wrong, say sorry and move on.
Well to me it looks like a jabbing motion in the Gercha style . His hands are on the reins so it’s hardly a full on swing.
It doesn’t look good from that angle but it certainly isn’t clear to me that any contact took place.There is no excuse for any form of strike to a horse’s head – whether that be by slap. punch or whip .
It causes them to be head shy.Suppose some might think they’ve seen something definate, but I must have watched it over 100 times now and can’t understand why so many are willing to lock Russell up and throw away the key on something that’s inconclusive. In my opinion Russell is not getting a fair hearing on here.
May be some ought to think of why they themselves are so negative. Whatever happened to benefit of the doubt?
Is this the social media phenomena of people subconsciously wanting to be outraged?
I thought this was a better place than Twitter or Facebook, not so sure these days.
Value Is EverythingNo, its genuine shock. Russell says it was an ordinary situation and that people don’t understand how a racehorse handles. So I ask TRF members on which ‘ordinary’ occasions they’ve seen a jockey punch a horse in the head before?
Meanwhile the Turf Club CEO refers to him as Davy which doesn’t give me much faith that he’ll receive an appropriate punishment. Do I sense a whitewash coming?
Suppose some might think they’ve seen something definate, but I must have watched it over 100 times now and can’t understand why so many are willing to lock Russell up and throw away the key on something that’s inconclusive. In my opinion Russell is not getting a fair hearing on here.
May be some ought to think of why they themselves are so negative. Whatever happened to benefit of the doubt? Is this the social media phenomena of people subconsciously wanting to be outraged?
I thought this was a better place than Twitter or Facebook, not so sure these days.I thought this was better than Twitter or Facebook as well, but I’m not sure with you posting bollocks like this.
Here’s one for you.
Punch on the head (maybe once in ten years) – completely unacceptable. A deplorable act. i think we all concur.
Hit them as hard as you like with a whip… multiple times… almost every race – thumbs up
Logic failure surely?
No, the Logic Failure is in exactly the opposite direction here. You condone punching a horse in the head, yet campaign against the whip. Like it or not, the whip is legal. Punching horses on the head is not.
Most punters probably don’t give two hoots about a, hopefully, isolated incident, but that is missing the point, which is that, an industry which faces criticism regarding animal welfare, cannot be seen treating those animals with casual contempt.
Most jockeys seem to at least be able to give the impression that they care. It’s what’s called Professionalism.
I’ll never forget the cheers that went up in my betting office when a horse was pulled up and was later announced to have been put down. “Best thing for the bas*ard” and worse comments accompanied the celebration of the Gifford horse’s demise.
I don’t think it is asking too much to show some respect for the animals.
As for people not being able to see the punch, it seems hard to miss it. Russell’s fist comes back, then shoots forward swiftly, the horse recoils to the side in reaction to the contact. Sweet Jesus, how clear does it need to be? Did a wasp sting the horse just as Russell punched forward. Next they will be saying he was trying to swat the wasp.
Russell says he did “Nothing out of the ordinary”, surely he must have a horse strung up in the stables as a punchbag then?
If you watch the video on to the slow motion close up of the incident, you will see Russell lift himself out of the saddle and thrust forward and down. The horse clearly reacts in a manner consistent with pain.
I guess if you don’t want to see it, then you won’t. Hopefully The Irish Turf Club can
Russellsorry, rustle, up a pair of spectacles between them.Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
You condone punching a horse in the head, yet campaign against the whip.
Condone punching a horse in the head? I think you need my glasses SC. Read that quote of mine in your post there and you’ll see it says ‘completely unacceptable’ and ‘A deplorable act’
Do agree with all here regarding Davy Russell’s behaviour which was totally unacceptable and abhorrent to anyone who follows racing and cares about the welfare of horses…and of course he’s not the only one, sadly there have been other incidences of head butting and punching horses.
In 2014 Sean Levey was seen to punch his horse Kaizen Factor after he threw him off after passing the winning post having finished a distant 3rd to Mark Johnston’s Piton at Kempton.(see You Tube)
This was totally uncalled for and you can see the horses head go up as the punch connects..shame on you also Mr. Levey and does anyone know if any action was taken against him?Felt particularly sorry for his horse, Kaizen Factor, who never won a race in his two year racing career and as a 3 year old under a different trainer (Micky Hammond) he was asked to run 4 x 2 mile races in the course of a month, the last two being just 8 days apart where he was switched to run in a Novice Hurdle and subsequently pulled up and never heard of again…poor horse he didn’t deserve to be punched he just never had anyone to fight his corner for him and that is why jockeys like Davy Russell and Sean Levey and others should be made accountable for their actions and respect the precious tools of their trade…Jac
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...
Is this the social media phenomena of people subconsciously wanting to be outraged? 
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